A gentle breeze blew from both banks, and some noisy sounds filled the air.
Xie Shuci looked at Sikong Ye in confusion, even wondering if he had misheard.
"What did you say?" Xie Shuci asked hesitantly.
Sikong Ye looked at Xie An, who stood silently in the distance, and smiled with lowered eyes, "Xie An is Xiao Xun. Have you never doubted his identity? Why were you involved in the Dragon Fang Secret Realm? Why did the Jingyu Flower in Tianzhu City bloom?"
Xie Shuci stared at him blankly, "Because..."
Sikong Ye said, "Because there is a hand behind your back that has repeatedly pushed you into the vortex."
Xie Shuci felt as if his blood had frozen, and the joy in his heart vanished instantly. He stared stiffly in the direction of Xie An. Perhaps sensing his gaze, Xie An lowered his head and bent down to pick up the fallen herbs.
Xie Shuci had suspected that someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes, leading him to get involved in these things time and time again. He guessed it might be the will of Heaven, destiny, the warding off evil spirits, or someone else, but he never, ever thought that this person might be Xie An.
Xie An was blind. What could a blind man know?
If anyone else had said these words, Xie Shuci would have simply laughed it off, perhaps even calling them an idiot later. But the person saying these words was Sikong Ye. He was the main character in this book, the seme, and he had met Xiao Xun and knew him…
"No……"
Nevertheless, Xie Shuci shook his head. Xie An could not be Xiao Xun. If he were Xiao Xun, he would have chopped Xie Shuci up with a knife the first time they met.
But……
Suddenly, a pair of eyes flashed into Xie Shuci's mind. It was the first time Xie An looked at him when they first met. His eyes were full of ferocity and killing intent, like the most vicious beast.
Xie Shuci shuddered, and as he looked at Xie An walking slowly toward him from afar, an uncontrollable fear spread through his heart.
This fear stemmed from doubt, from Xie An's identity, and from the cruel tricks fate had played on him.
"impossible!"
Xie Shuci gritted his teeth and shook his head, trying to shake off the fear of Xiao Xun clinging to him.
"Don't talk nonsense, Xie An can't be Xiao Xun." Xie Shuci said in a trembling voice. He could hear the tremor in his own voice and felt the wavering in his heart. He bit his tongue, trying to use the pain to keep himself clear-headed and rational.
Xie Shuci had his doubts about Xie An's identity, but he never considered that Xie An might be Xiao Xun. It wasn't that he had no clues to suspect this; he just didn't want to put Xie An and Xiao Xun together.
He felt that Xie An could have been anyone before he met him, good or bad, he didn't care, as long as Xie An wouldn't do anything to hurt others in the future, he didn't mind his identity. However, he just couldn't be Xiao Xun.
Xie Shuci's fear of Xiao Xun was deeply ingrained. He even knew very well that if Xie An was Xiao Xun, it meant that he had never been able to escape the original trajectory of the story. Regardless of whether he died at the Hundred Schools Selection as the Water God said, his final fate would definitely be to die at Xiao Xun's hands.
Sikong Ye didn't say anything more. He looked at Xie An, who was gradually approaching, and smiled. He said in a low voice, "If you want to know his identity, I will wait for you in the courtyard at 1-3 AM tonight. Don't worry, he is still very weak. After he falls asleep, he will not know about our conversation."
Xie Shuci shook his head, his face pale, and said, "I won't believe you."
You're a troublemaker. You think it's funny, so you're trying to fool me. I won't fall for it easily.
Sikong Ye chuckled softly, "I'll be waiting for you tonight at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM)."
After saying that, he turned and strode away.
At the same time, Xie An gradually walked up to Xie Shuci.
He held a pile of herbs in his hand, his face expressionless, and stood in front of Xie Shuci without saying a word for a moment.
Xie Shuci took a deep breath. The little blind man's hearing was so sensitive, he wondered if he had heard Sikong Ye's nonsense. Xie Shuci wanted to say a few words of comfort, but he just looked at Xie An quietly and couldn't say anything no matter what.
Finally, Xie An lowered his eyes, placed the carefully picked herbs in front of Xie Shuci, and asked, "Don't you want them?"
"Yes..." Xie Shuci's voice trembled slightly as he took the herbs from Xie An's hand. His fingertips accidentally touched Xie An's skin, and whether it was just his imagination or not, he felt that Xie An's hand was as cold as ice.
Xie Shuci withdrew her hand and forced a smile. "Let's go back."
He turned around and walked forward, but felt that Xie An behind him did not move. Xie Shuci turned around and looked at him. It was his familiar face. He asked, "What's wrong?"
Perhaps because his clothes dragged on the ground while he was picking herbs, Xie An's white robes were covered with grass clippings and dirt.
Xie An was very clean and usually never had any dirt on him. He would even smooth out any wrinkles in his clothes with his hands. But now he was covered in dirt, yet he acted as if he didn't know it.
Xie An calmly raised his eyes, his gaze deep and unfathomable. For a moment, Xie Shuci couldn't tell whether he could see him or not.
"Don't you have anything you want to ask me?" Xie An said.
Xie Shuci's heart skipped a beat, but he shook his head and said, "No."
Xie An's long eyelashes trembled slightly, and he stood still. "If you ask me, I will tell you the truth."
Xie Shuci felt as if his heart had been squeezed hard, the pain making it hard for him to breathe. He had only opened his lips, a tiny movement, yet it felt as if his internal organs were being torn apart.
Xie Shuci froze on the spot, and with all his might, he took a step toward Xie An.
He walked over to Xie An, took his hand that was hanging by his side, brushed the dirt and grass off his body, and said with a smile, "Did you hear what Sikong Ye said?"
Xie An slowly raised his eyes, but did not respond.
Xie Shuci said, "You don't understand him. He's just a troublemaker who likes to cause chaos. I won't believe his words. You are my little blind man, my Xie An. You are no one else but him."
"What if what he said is true?"
Xie Shuci's smile froze, then he said, "It can't be true. If it were true, I should have died long ago. How could I still be alive now?"
yes!
If what he said was true, Xie Shuci should have been chopped up by Xie An the moment he met him, just as the book says, but that didn't happen.
Xie An is not the cruel and perverted Xiao Xun. Although he loves to talk, he is just like an ordinary person. He can get angry, throw tantrums, and care about and like Xie Shuci. How could he be Xiao Xun?
Xie Shuci said, "Little blind man, don't overthink it. He's just talking nonsense. He's just trying to sow discord. I'm very familiar with this kind of plot. I will never be fooled by him."
Xie Shuci pulled Xie An forward. Xie An's body temperature wafted through his clothes and touched his palm. He was a warm person, unlike that killing machine.
Besides, Chu Wenfeng already said that Xie An went blind because he went into a state of demonic possession. Xiao Xun, on the other hand, cultivates the path of slaughter. His will is so firm that even the Heavenly Dao cannot shake him. How could he go into a state of demonic possession?
Xie Shuci's heart gradually calmed down, and he returned to the courtyard with Xie An.
At that time, Chu Guiyi and the other person, along with that damned Sikong Ye, were sitting around the stone table. None of the three spoke. When Xie Shuci and the other person walked in, they all looked over at the same time.
Chu Guiyi looked at them with a very complicated expression;
Sikong Ye, on the other hand, was quite interested;
Only Chu Wenfeng, despite it being only one night, looked at the blind boy with extreme wariness.
Xie Shuci looked at him strangely, "What kind of look is that?"
Chu Wenfeng frowned, opened his mouth as if to say something, but then hesitated and stopped.
Before he could speak, Xie Shuci said, "Okay, I got it, you're constipated."
Chu Wenfeng: "..."
Xie Shuci disliked the strange atmosphere between them and pulled Xie An back to the room.
"They suspect me."
"Enter the room, close the door," Xie An said.
Xie Shuci froze, turned around to look at Xie An, smiled and said, "They must have been deceived by Sikong Ye. Don't worry, they may not believe you, but I do."
Xie An frowned slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but Xie Shuci did not give him a chance to speak.
“I know what you’re worried about, don’t worry,” Xie Shuci patted his chest. “I assure you, I will absolutely, absolutely never doubt you. In a relationship, the most important thing is trust. If you can be easily manipulated by others, then it’s not true love.”
As she spoke, Xie Shuci yawned, "I didn't sleep a wink last night, and I was dragged out early this morning to discuss auction prices. I'm exhausted. You should sleep with me for a while—"
At this point, Xie Shuci paused, pointed at Xie An, and said, "I'm warning you, you're not allowed to kick me out! If you try to kick me out again or say anything I don't want to hear, I'll bite you to death!"
Xie Shuci was probably extremely tired. He kicked off his shoes and crawled into the bedding without even taking off his clothes.
Xie An stood there, sighed almost inaudibly, slowly walked to the bedside and sat down, gently placing his hand on Xie Shuci's back, and softly asked, "Did you hurt yourself yesterday?"
Xie Shuci covered his head with the blanket, shook his head, and said in a muffled voice, "No."
"Xie An, I don't blame you. From now on, if you don't want to say something, then don't say it. If you don't want to tell me something, then you don't have to say it for the rest of your life. As long as you're okay, as long as we're okay, I don't care." Xie Shuci's voice became a little hoarse.
Xie An looked at him, his eyes dark and unreadable. Urged by Xie Shuci, he nodded slightly and said in a low voice, "Okay."
Upon receiving this answer, Xie Shuci seemed relieved. He forced himself not to think about anything, closed his eyes tightly, and tried to fall asleep even if he wasn't sleepy.
Xie An gently patted his back, as if coaxing him to sleep. In this quiet and comfortable environment, Xie Shuci gradually fell asleep.
But he didn't sleep very comfortably; the blanket was over his face, and he had difficulty breathing.
In the quiet room, Xie An sighed deeply, pulled back the blanket covering Xie Shuci's face, and looked at his tightly furrowed brows in his sleep. Perhaps he had a nightmare, his face was a little pale, as if there was something in his dream that frightened him. After sensing Xie An's presence, he reached out and tightly grasped a piece of Xie An's clothes.
Xie An felt as if he had been stabbed in the heart.
Such pain was commonplace for him now, but because the knife was in Xie Shuci's hand, the pain was somewhat unbearable for him at first.
He endured the excruciating pain, bent down, and gently pressed his dry, weary lips against Xie Shuci's forehead, murmuring softly, "Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you."
Xie Shuci slept very restlessly. For some reason, even though he was restless, he was unwilling to wake up. Even when he was about to wake up, he forced himself to continue sleeping.
During this time, Xie An did not make a sound. He leaned quietly against the side of the bed, placed his hand on Xie Shuci, and patiently comforted him when he was sleeping restlessly.
The sky had completely darkened at some point, and there were no lights on inside. When Xie Shuci opened his eyes, he saw nothing but darkness and almost thought he had gone blind, but his heart was surprisingly calm.
"Awake?" Xie An asked.
"Hmm," Xie Shuci replied hoarsely, "It's already dark."
Are you hungry?
Xie Shuci shook her head. "Are you hungry?"
“A little,” Xie An said.
Xie Shuci nodded. "What time is it now?"
In the darkness, Xie An paused for a moment and said, "It's past midnight."
"oh……"
Xie Shuci propped himself up on the bed. He had slept for a whole day and felt weak and sore all over, with a dizzy head. He got out of bed, slipped on his shoes, and walked out.
Xie An called out to him, "Xie Shuci, where are you going?"
Xie Shuci rubbed his sleepy eyes and said, "Aren't you hungry? There's still some dry food on the Shenzhou. I'll find a secluded place to get some, and I'll also check on the Great King. I put it down yesterday while it was sleeping."
Upon hearing this, Xie An fell silent again.
After a long pause, he nodded and said, "Okay."
Xie Shuci turned around, pushed open the door, went around to the back of the courtyard, and opened the Shenzhou.
As soon as the Shenzhou landed, the king's mournful roar immediately came from inside.
"Awooooo!"
"Awooo!"
"Awooooo!"
Stinky fall! Stinky fall! Stinky fall!
Perhaps because he had just woken up, Xie Shuci was a little slow to react. He stood there for a moment before walking onto the deck and picking up the wailing king.
"Little dogs shouldn't swear." Xie Shuci rubbed its neck soothingly. "Just bear with it for now. Once the auction is over, I'll take you and Brother Xie An to a secluded place to live, and we'll never come out again and get involved in this mess."
"Awooo!" The king cried, tears streaming down his face.
Xie Shuci wiped away his tears, and for some reason, her own eyes also started to sting.
He hugged the king tightly, his voice trembling with tears, and said, "Please don't cry, okay? If you cry, I'll want to cry too."
"Huh?" The king was stunned for a moment, then raised his dog head and looked at Diedie's face.
The light was very dim at night, but it could still clearly see the glistening water on Diedie's face.
The king stopped crying and stretched out its paw to touch Xie Shuci's face, but Xie Shuci pressed its paw down, saying, "Dirty."
"Huh?"
The king instantly transformed into a child, nestled in Xie Shuci's arms, his round eyes brimming with tears.
The king has indeed grown up over this period of time. He was just a baby at first, but now he looks three or four years old.
He wiped Xie Shuci's tears with his chubby hands, "Father..."
Xie Shuci gently patted his head, "Who told you to become human?"
The king pursed his lips, tears streaming down his face. "Father, don't cry... Your Majesty, don't cry either..." Xie Shuci's tears were somewhat uncontrollable, and he didn't know why.
The king's chubby little hands couldn't wipe away all the tears. He held back his tears, his little face turning red. "Daddy, don't cry... The king will wait for Daddy here obediently... The king won't make a fuss... Daddy, please don't cry..."
Xie Shuci could have held back, but the more she tried to persuade him, the less she could control herself. Besides, the king's voice was so sweet and gentle, and he was wiping Xie Shuci's tears while looking pitiful with his lips pursed.
Xie Shuci pressed the hand that was waving around on her face back down, sniffed, and said, "I didn't cry, the wind was too strong and the moon was too bright."
"Waaah..." The king looked at him with teary eyes.
Xie Shuci wiped away his tears and snot, turned him into a half-grown dog, and worried that the little blind boy would wait too long in the room. He gave him a few instructions and then took some dry food and got off the boat.
This time, the king looked at him from the bow of the boat, no longer crying or making a fuss, but his eyes were full of tears.
Xie Shuci hardened his heart, shrunk the Shenzhou back to the size of a palm, put it in his small pouch, and turned back to the courtyard.
As he passed the tree in the courtyard, he couldn't help but stop and look up. Sikong Ye was leaning against a branch, his eyes closed, his breathing shallow and even, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.
Xie Shuci gritted her teeth, glared at him, and strode over.
Back in the room, which was still pitch black, Xie Shuci rubbed his eyes and called out, "Xie An?"
There was no response from the bed for a long time; Xie Shuci could only hear faint breathing.
Xie Shuci took out a small illuminating pearl from his pouch. The dim light illuminated an area of a few inches. He tiptoed over to the couch and saw Xie An lying there with his eyes closed, looking haggard and breathing evenly.
Xie Shuci frowned as she looked at his pale face and listened to his barely audible breathing. Xie An's body was very weak. Under normal circumstances, he should have woken up the moment she opened the door, but he was still unconscious.
He covered the small spirit pearl with his sleeve to prevent the sudden light from startling Xie An.
Xie Shuci took a deep look at Xie An's face in the light that had leaked out. He could not find a single flaw. He was calm and quiet, but at this moment, his lips were a little dry.
For some reason, Xie Shuci suddenly became lost in thought, her mind completely blank, not thinking about anything, nor daring to think about anything.
As the hour of Chou (1-3 AM) approached, Xie Shuci stood there for a long time, staring at Xie An's sleeping face, before finally leaving the room and closing the door tightly.
He walked blankly to the stone table under the tree and sat down.
"I thought you weren't coming." A teasing voice sounded from above.
Xie Shuci snapped out of her daze, slowly raised her head, and said expressionlessly, "I came here just to prove that you're lying to me."
Sikong Ye raised an eyebrow, jumped down from the tree branch, and landed next to Xie Shuci.
“You can only prove that you are deceiving yourself.” Sikong Ye sat down on the stone table, a playful look on his face. “I don’t believe you have never doubted him.”
Xie Shuci was puzzled and a little angry. "Why would I suspect him? He's been by my side for so long and has never hurt me or anyone else. I just don't know his identity. He has no connection with Xiao Xun."
Sikong Ye chuckled softly after hearing this, "You must have heard about 'defying fate' from Axin, right?"
Xie Shuci looked at him coldly, "So what?"
Sikong Ye said, "The Startled Feather Bird is a symbol of the Heavenly Way. When the Mandate of Heaven is reversed, the Startled Feather Bird will be affected and temporarily fall into slumber. Therefore, the Startled Feather Bird should not have appeared on that day."
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Xie Shuci was getting impatient. He felt that this matter had nothing to do with Xie An and Xiao Xun, and he didn't understand why he had suddenly brought it up.
Sikong Ye ignored his impatience and continued, "In other words, on that day, someone sacrificed their cultivation and blood to forcibly awaken the Startled Feather Bird."
"So what? What does it have to do with us?"
“Throughout history, only two people have been able to do this,” Sikong Ye said.
Xie Shuci looked at him without saying anything.
Sikong Ye continued, "One person is Luo Jingyu, who perished seven thousand years ago; the other person is Xiao Xun, who, like Luo Jingyu, is accompanied by twelve Jingyu birds, is a Holy Son of Heaven, and whose duty is to save all living beings."
Xie Shuci's body trembled, and his eyes gradually became unfocused.
—Wait a little longer, and maybe they will come when you want to see them.
—If you want to see them, they will come naturally.
The words Xie An once said uncontrollably echoed in my mind.
Sikong Ye looked at his face inquisitively and asked, "Have you thought of something?"
Xie Shuci stared at him blankly, "None of your business."
Sikong Ye curled his lip and said, "Xie Shuci, have you noticed when Xie An started to become weak?"
when……
Xie Shuci stared blankly ahead. When did the little blind man start to become weak?
After a long pause, he murmured, "After leaving Tianzhu City..."
Sikong Ye decisively interrupted him, his tone certain: "I think it must have been after the startled bird returned to its nest. He forcibly used his blood to awaken the startled bird, and probably suffered a backlash, which is why he went mad."
Xie Shuci sneered after hearing this, "You mean, because I wanted to see the Startled Feather Bird, he, Xiao Xun, risked being devoured by the backlash and going into demonic possession just to satisfy me? Shouldn't I be thanking him? Do you think Xiao Xun would do such a thing?"
Sikong Ye fell into deep thought after hearing this, and finally spoke the truth, "Indeed, the Xiao Xun I know and have heard about would never do such a thing."
"That settles it then, there must be other reasons..."
"But doesn't that make it more interesting?"
Xie Shuci looked at him with a cold expression.
Sikong Ye's eyes burned with desire. "The original Xiao Xun was like a closed-off secret realm, dangerous and mysterious, not allowing anything to approach. But now he's changed, become more human, and opened the gates of that secret realm to you. Aren't you curious about why he's changed like this?"
This guy is truly obsessed with all sorts of bizarre things.
Xie Shuci said, "I don't care why he changed, I don't know if he has changed or not. I don't know him, I've never seen him before."
Seeing that he was still stubborn, Sikong Ye narrowed his eyes, "If you still don't believe me, I have a way to let you see it with your own eyes."
Xie Shuci turned her head to look at him, pursed her lips, and remained silent.
Sikong Ye did not say it directly, but said, "If you firmly believe that he is not Xiao Xun, or if it makes no difference to you whether he is Xiao Xun or not, I will not tell you this method."
In short, he wouldn't say anything if Xie Shuci didn't ask.
Upon hearing this, Xie Shuci slowly lowered his eyes.
Sikong Ye looked at him, waiting for him to make a decision.
After a long silence, Xie Shuci took a breath and asked, "What method?"
Sikong Ye smiled meaningfully and said, "I heard that before he cultivated the Path of Slaughter, he had a mark of a Heavenly Dao Saint on his forehead, which was a mark in the shape of a startled bird. After he cultivated the Path of Slaughter, he somehow covered up this mark. If you can inject your spiritual power into his forehead when he is not on guard, you will be able to see the mark of the Saint."
How do I know if you're lying to me?
"I have no reason to lie to you; it would do me no good. I have no grudge against you, so why would I target you?"
Because you're out of your mind.
Who knows?
"In short, I've already told you the method. If you don't believe me, just see for yourself."
Xie Shuci glanced at him silently, then got up and went back to her room.
Inside the room, Xie An was breathing slowly and weakly, fast asleep. Xie Shuci walked back and forth without waking him.
Now is the best opportunity to prove that Xie An is not Xiao Xun.
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